John Galliano - Designer

[KKnardi]

http://nymag.com/thecut
And I guess Blazy got fired ...
What do you think happened to him ? He didn't die ... Suzy Menkes said he was genius, so I guess he'll go somewhere else ... Why not Hermes ? Margiela was art director of Hermes, for some seasons, after all ...

Haha... She still thinks that!

Suzy Menkes discusses John Galliano taking the role of creative director for Maison Martin Margiela.

My first memory of a "show" by Martin Margiela was when, in the late Eighties, I and a small group of fashion faithfuls went to abandoned territory around rough social housing on the outskirts of Paris - and saw an entire collection from the Belgian designer presented inside plastic dry cleaner bags.

My most powerful memory of John Galliano, who will take over as creative director at the Maison Martin Margiela, is the collection he showed in the empty mansion of fashion patron São Schlumberger, when a handful of mannequins posed around a dismembered chandelier.

What could the two have in common that has prompted the appointment of Galliano as creative director of Margiela by Renzo Rosso, the head of the Only the Brave empire that includes non-conformist brands such as Diesel, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, along with the Maison Martin Margiela?

The connection that I can see between two apparently different designers - Margiela is Belgian; Galliano is Latin, from Gibraltar, raised in England - could be a show for Christian Dior in 2000, when Galliano shook the Paris couture universe with a collection inspired by the city' s homeless. The handwork that went into creating the hanging threads and destroyed clothes was considered either as a poetic vision or a shocking insult - depending on the point of view.

Margiela himself was a fashion advocate of re-making and re-cycling - with even his upscale pieces made from found objects such as thimbles or wigs.

Galliano's return in January to haute couture - or "artisanal" as the Maison Margiela calls it - will be the sensation of the season. It also marks the return to the catwalk of a designer who was fired by the house of Dior, part of the LVMH (Moet Henderson Louis Vuitton) group after the British-trained designer made anti-Semitic remarks when drunk.

Since then, Galliano has attempted to atone for words he says were uttered under the influence. He worked briefly with American designer Oscar de la Renta in New York, but that turned sour when his personal look, well known in the fashion world, was misconceived as a take on Hasidic Jews.

This chance to atone and to join a thriving fashion group is a rare opportunity for Galliano. The Italian-based empire of Renzo Rosso can give him a platform for his creativity, while working for someone who understands the creative mind.

What will happen to the house of John Galliano, still owned by LVMH and with Galliano's former colleague Bill Gaytten at the helm? No comment on either side has yet been made.

Renzo Rosso said: "Margiela is ready for a new charismatic creative soul. John Galliano is one of the greatest, undisputed talents of all time. I look forward for his return to create that Fashion Dream - and I wish him to find here his new home."

Suzy Menkes, vogue.co.uk/news

 

[VersaceVixen009]

Regardless of how the clothes turn out, I'm just looking forward to the show itself. John always knew how to stage an amazing show and cast models who knew how to work the clothes.

I'm excited for this as well. Spectacular theatrical/dramatic shows are really lacking these days in the fashion industry. Karl TRIES to do this, but they end up looking tacky and gimmicky. No one could could create a show the way John does. I imagine his first show is going to be VERY big. I could picture Gisele or even Kate or Naomi being there or walking in the show.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ I hope it's not a circus-extravaganza with supermodels everywhere.

The soul of Galliano has always been about his visionary and masterful cutting. And now with MMM, I hope he remembers the warmth and charm of that part of him.

 

[Fiercification]

Very unexpected but very interesting...I'll wait and see to make any judgement. Happy to see Galliano finally back though, no doubt!

 

[coutugh]

I'd rather stay skeptical for now.

 

[Spike413]

Suzy couldn't have chosen a better example of a collection that Galliano did which proves that he not only can do but has done things that make him a more ideal fit for a house like Margiela than it might initially seem.

I'm looking forward to the relative freedom that he's probably afforded by working for Margiela as opposed to an older house with a very specific and easily identifiable image. It may just loosen him creatively and knowing him it could very well yield incredible results.

 

[Littleathquakes]

^^^ I hope it's not a circus-extravaganza with supermodels everywhere.

The soul of Galliano has always been about his visionary and masterful cutting. And now with MMM, I hope he remembers the warmth and charm of that part of him.

I am excited for his return and I expect nothing less than the supermodel circus - cause if it's anyone who can pull supermodels out of retirement, it's Galliano. I am certain Kate Moss will be in that mix.

 

[eugenius]

I say No to Kate and company. If anything, his upcoming show for MMM would reinforce what we already knew, but may have forgotten: that the man is a talented designer who can design/cut/drape circles around whomever else is showing during couture week. Letting the clothes speak for themselves is/was what Margiela was all about in the first place, and I think that approach would definitely help Galliano right now..not a flashy supermodel feeding-frenzy.

 

[Rosa Pulchra]

Odd choice, but very excited to see something out of here.

 

[reese06]

I'm pretty sure you hire Galliano for a spectacle and extravaganza even if that's not what the house is about.

I'm hoping his return to fashion is a defining moment as the this past season was absolutely lackluster.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

I'm soooo looking forward to the upcoming couture season

 

[donyan]

I like galliano for who he is, his ott aesthetics but Margiela is really one of a kind in the fashion world until lately.

I always hope secretly they will just bring someone unknown but talented, surely there is one out there, instead of trying to leverage on Galliano'so reputation, scandal or no scandal, his aesthetics simply doesn't fit with Margiela's.

But well, it's diesel, right?

agreed. OTB are trying to leverage on Galliano's reputation to revive a brand that must have had problems ( otherwise why change a winning formula?)

I am extremely pleased about Galliano being back, I just hope that it is not just for publicity reasons. Diesel are not LVMH and MMM has never been a brand to stage exuberant shows to sell bags. At OTB It is all about the bottom line, and judging from where Victor and Rolf are now there might not be the support ( financial and creatively) that Galliano needs.
While Galliano's tenure at Dior was apparently hugely successful it was never about selling clothes, whereas ( and correct me if I'm wrong) at Margiela, it was ALL about the clothes.

 

[Flashbang]

agreed. OTB are trying to leverage on Galliano's reputation to revive a brand that must have had problems ( otherwise why change a winning formula?)

I am extremely pleased about Galliano being back, I just hope that it is not just for publicity reasons. Diesel are not LVMH and MMM has never been a brand to stage exuberant shows to sell bags. At OTB It is all about the bottom line, and judging from where Victor and Rolf are now there might not be the support ( financial and creatively) that Galliano needs.
While Galliano's tenure at Dior was apparently hugely successful it was never about selling clothes, whereas ( and correct me if I'm wrong) at Margiela, it was ALL about the clothes.

Yeah this is my main concern. Rosso better go all out supporting Galliano or bust.

 

[Scott]

I say No to Kate and company. If anything, his upcoming show for MMM would reinforce what we already knew, but may have forgotten: that the man is a talented designer who can design/cut/drape circles around whomever else is showing during couture week. Letting the clothes speak for themselves is/was what Margiela was all about in the first place, and I think that approach would definitely help Galliano right now..not a flashy supermodel feeding-frenzy.

now MM was known for having very interesting presentations throughout but it was often held with a lot of mystery and of course off-beat and conceptual. i remember his show from the early 90's he put on two separate presentations...one with all white and another with all black. there was also the catwalk he and his team put together from cocktail tables. the one with the puppets. it's actually pretty ironic because there's a book by ingrid loschek-when clothes become fashion : design and innovation system-in it there's a page dedicated to the analysis of showing and what do you know,galliano and MM were followed by the other. it sort of laid out how much of an antithesis MM really was to what galliano was doing....where he was deconstructing notions of the fashion spectacle and of course being anti-celebrity,galliano was embracing both attributes to the max extreme. and even to this day MMM is not known for top models and spectacle as sanitized as it has all become thanks to the owners and rosso. i just hope for galliano's sake,there will remain a respect level to the man whose label he is designing for...they were after all generational peers and he certainly wasn't oblivious to the ground MM left.

 

[Phuel]

Those wanting a huge spectacle, or those thinking he's only capable of a huge spectacle are either forgetting, or don't know how varied and immense Galliano's vision is capable of. Before the Siegfried and Roy Vegas extravaganzas he became famous for at Dior, this was a man who was so resourceful. so creative, and so skilled, he could make sublime creations out of cheap materials; or so technically-versed, a tailor had mistaken the craftsmanship of one of his jackets as something from the Victorian era. He is a genuine Rumpelstiltskin. Isn't that also the spirit of MMM?

After these last few years, I'm sure John is more humbled, and appreciative of his early years and will hopefully be leaving the spectacle behind him, for now-- and for MMM.

 

[Scott]

well galliano was pretty theatrical pre-dior as well but there was such a level of poetry and emotion it never felt like it was contrived for attention or celebrity. and i am hoping as well that this time away has made him more humble,appreciative and feeding his passion to design as opposed to all that outside nonsense that came with his previous career. at MMM whatever debacle it's become one thing i can say is that they still retain that quality of allowing the clothes to speak for them.

 

[mistress_f]

i personally think that avoiding his famous theatrics can only be good for him at this point. I feel like - more as a necessity than a choice - he won't be showing off much of him, it's not like his public image is the same it was pre-scandal. maybe he and the brand will benefit from thi

 

[Marc10]

I'll be deeply disappointed if he pulls on one of his old-school spectacles. I think this could be such a great opportunity for him to prove that he's more than the frivolous, campy showman that most people immediately label him. Also because that is so not what Margiela's shows are about. He used theatricality in his shows in a very thought provoking, performance art way. It was more quiet symbolism than loud shock value.

He should focus on the clothes and let go of the flashing lights.

 

[educo]

When the scandal broke out, I wrote how explosive it would be if Galliano assumed a Margiela-like role, ghost designing for another house. Never would I have thought that he would actually go to Margiela!

This is exciting news! They couldn't be further from each other in aesthetics, yet I feel he will rock the sh*t out of this house.

 

[heelscatchfire]

^ I hope he does, I know he can be a good fit at MMM if he downplays all the theatrics! Its been to long without Galliano. I have always been a fan of his time at Dior, quite frankly I miss him there.